Tampa Brain Injury Lawyers

Over 100 Years Experience Fighting for Victims in Florida

“Brain Injuries are often life-altering injuries for the victim and the victim’s entire family…Head injuries commonly create a lifetime of income loss and a lifetime of expenses for the victim and the family.” Erik G. Abrahamson, Senior Partner

If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury, you are no doubt already beginning to experience the effects in your daily life. Traumatic brain injuries often have tragic consequences, leaving victims in pain, unable to work, and unable to enjoy spending meaningful time with their families. While traumatic brain injuries happen in the blink of an eye, they often have a lifetime of consequences that extend far beyond what most people could have imagined.

At Abrahamson & Uiterwyk, we provide experienced Tampa brain injury lawyers for legal representation for victims of traumatic brain injuries. We have represented accident victims for more than 30 years. Brain injury cases are some of the most severe cases that we handle. If you need to seek compensation for an accident-related brain injury in Tampa, we are here to help you. We are passionate about fighting for our clients’ rights, and you can rest assured that our Tampa brain injury attorneys will do everything in our power to fight for the compensation that you deserve.

Brain Injury Cases We Handle

Our Tampa brain injury attorneys have extensive experience representing individuals and families in cases involving all types of accident-related brain injuries. The following is a general overview of the most common types of brain injury cases we handle:

Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries

1. Open and Closed Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries can be classified into two categories: “Closed” brain injuries and “open” brain injuries. A “closed” brain injury is any injury that results from a blunt force to the head – a concussion is a common example. In contrast, an “open” brain injury is an injury that results from a foreign object penetrating the skull. This could be from a shard of metal in a vehicle collision to a pipe or nail on a construction site.

2. Mild, Moderate, and Severe Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries can also be classified as “mild,” “moderate,” or “severe.” A mild brain injury is typically characterized by the following:

Brief loss of consciousness (usually a few seconds or minutes), if any;

Feeling dazed or confused; and,

The victim’s symptoms reveal a change in his or her mental status at the time of the injury.

Importantly, with a mild brain injury, medical testing will not always reveal a physiological change. As a result, the victim’s brain scans may appear normal even though a serious injury has occurred.

Like mild brain injuries, moderate brain injuries are closed injuries that result from collisions, violent shaking, and other sudden impacts that cause the brain to suffer trauma inside of the skull. Moderate brain injuries are typically characterized by:

While many individuals who suffer moderate brain injuries are able to make a full recovery (though this recovery can often take months), some victims suffer permanent effects.

Severe brain injuries commonly result in lifelong impairments, and in the most tragic cases, can lead to premature death. Severe brain injuries can be either open or closed, and are generally characterized by:

A significant period of unconsciousness;

Significant behavioral, cognitive, and physical impairments; and,

The need for emergency medical intervention and a likely need for long-term hospitalization and rehabilitation.

3. Examples of Traumatic Brain Injuries

All types of brain injuries have the potential to cause serious, lasting effects that can alter the victim’s memory, attention, creativity, motor skills, comprehension, and other abilities. Some examples of the most common types of accident-related traumatic brain injuries include the following:

Concussions – Concussions can range in severity and are among the most common types of traumatic brain injuries. Concussions may be caused by a sudden impact from a collision or fall, violent shaking, or whiplash.

Contusions – Contusions, or brain bruises, are common in traumatic accidents as well. In severe cases, contusions may require surgery in order to relieve pressure from the brain and give the victim a chance of making a full recovery.

Coup–Contrecoup Injuries – With a coup-contrecoup injury, the brain impacts the skull with such force that it then bounces back and makes a second impact on the opposite side. Coup-contrecoup injuries are often associated with both concussions and contusions.

Diffuse Axonal Injuries – Diffuse axonal injuries most commonly result from violent shaking of the head. With these injuries, the brain moves slower than the skull, causing the tissues that connect the brain and the skull to tear. Diffuse axonal injuries are often extremely serious, and have the potential to be fatal.

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage – With a subarachnoid hemorrhage, torn arteries release blood into the space surrounding the brain, which is normally filled with cerebrospinal fluid that cushions the brain against impacts. Accident victims can suffer severe consequences as the released blood spreads around the brain.

Subdural Hematoma – Subdural hematoma is considered perhaps the most dangerous of all traumatic brain injuries. These injuries occur when the veins between the brain and the dura (the brain’s outer protective covering) tear, allowing blood to collect around the brain.

Accidents Resulting in Traumatic Brain Injuries

With the U.S. National Library of Medicine noting that even subdural hematomas can result from “a very minor head injury,” all accident victims need to be cautious about the risks of a potentially serious traumatic brain injury. Examples of incidents that may lead to traumatic brain injuries include, but are not limited to:

Choosing a Brain Injury Lawyer in Tampa, FL

After suffering any type of traumatic injury under any circumstances in which someone else may be to blame, it may be helpful to speak with an experienced brain injury attorney. The financial costs of your injury will continue to pile up, and you need to make sure that you give yourself the best possible chance to secure compensation. Along with medical bills and lost wages, many brain injury victims suffer significant other losses as well: Pain and suffering, inability to work, loss of enjoyment of life – these are all losses for which compensation is available under the law.

Some law firms handle all types of cases. Many personal injury lawyers take cases ranging from divorces to business disputes, and may only occasionally represent victims with serious injuries. In order to maximize your chances of winning compensation, you will typically want a brain injury law firm whose practice is 100 percent devoted to personal injury representation.

Some law firms are one attorney and a part-time assistant. Securing just compensation for a traumatic brain injury is not easy. It requires experience, knowledge, financial resources, and the professional staff necessary to efficiently and effectively manage all aspects of the claim. At Abrahamson & Uiterwyk, our 10+ attorneys have over a century of personal injury experience, and our 40+ staff members are all dedicated to helping protect our clients’ rights.

Some law firms do not go to trial. While accepting an insurance settlement will often be the best option after a serious injury, it is not the only option. In addition, you do not want the insurance companies to know that your attorneys are not interested in taking your case to trial. Our injury lawyers are aggressive litigators, and while we push for a fair settlement.

At Abrahamson & Uiterwyk, we are committed to doing what it takes to fight for our clients. We also understand that many accident victims do not have the money needed to finance a brain injury lawsuit. This is why we handle all cases on a contingency-fee basis. When you choose the Tampa Brain Injury attorneys at Abrahamson & Uiterwyk, (i) you do not have to pay a retainer, (ii) you will never receive a monthly legal bill, and (iii) you do not pay any legal fees unless we win your case.

Contact Abrahamson & Uiterwyk for a Free Consultation

To learn more about your rights after suffering a traumatic brain injury in Florida, contact our Tampa brain injury lawyers for a free, no-obligation consultation. Call our Tampa, FL law offices at (800) 753-5203, chat live with a representative, or tell us what happened online. We are available 24/7.

Disclaimer: The use of the Internet or this form for communication with the firm or any individual member of the firm does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Confidential or time-sensitive information should not be sent through this form.